Iowa State’s Otzelberger rises on UVA’s search list

By Jerry Ratcliffe

A new name has surfaced as a potential candidate for the Virginia men’s basketball head coaching position if the school replaces interim coach Ron Sanchez at season’s end.

T.J. Otzelberger, who has rebuilt the Iowa State Cyclones the past few seasons, is considered a coaching star on the rise and appears to be a perfect fit for Virginia, much like Tony Bennett was when he was lured to Charlottesville from Washington State.

According to a source familiar with Virginia’s situation, “Otzelberger is fantastic.”

Otzelberger, 47, worked his way up through the coaching profession from high school ball to junior college, to an assistant’s job at Iowa State for eight seasons, before taking a similar position at Washington. From there, he was hired as the head coach at South Dakota State and then UNLV, winning at both of those programs before returning to Iowa State as head coach in 2021.

Otzelberger inherited a Cyclones program that had finished 2-22, and posted the biggest turnaround in the nation the following season, winning 22 games and advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. He has led Iowa State to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet 16s and a Big 12 Tournament title.

His current Cyclones team is 17-5 overall and 7-4 in the Big 12. Iowa State was considered a strong candidate for a No. 1 seed in the approaching NCAA Tournament until it dropped three straight games, and has now dropped to a projected No. 2 seed in the West region.

Otzelberger is considered as one of the top recruiters in the nation and has a strong coaching staff.

His salary at Iowa State was recently bumped up from $2.5 million to $3 million, and is due for another raise to $3.5 million next season after he signed a contract extension in December that has him inked through June of 2032, with an estimated buyout of $18 million.

Otzelberger’s wife is a former coach and former WNBA player.